Support The Kitties!

Ready for Their Close Up, originally uploaded by La Pauline.

As many of you know, I adopted Maestro and Mozart from a shelter in Montreal called the Candian Pet Rescue. It's run by one women named Maggie and basically she takes care of all the animals' needs (medical, etc.) until the are adopted.

She has a great adoption rate and really helps these creatures.

That said, she could really use some donations to help defray costs of food and vet visits. You can make a donation through PayPal.

Or drive up and adopt a furball. Believe me, her cats are worth it.

Heeeeere's Maestro!

I am often accused of showing more attention to Mozart than Maestro, but when we got The Boys it was because Le Doug wanted another Himalayan, which is what Maestro is. Mozart was tacked on to the deal by the lady at the shelter. The two cats are a great find, and since Maestro already claimed by Le Doug's affection, I thought it was only right to focus on Mozart.

But here's Maestro, roused from an afternoon nap.

Maestro and Mozart Get Shaved!

It seemed like a perfectly good idea at the time: get The Boys, Maestro and Mozartm shaved before the start of summer so that when the heat kicks in they won't suffer. After all, Le Doug had a Himalayan named Spitfire for years, and every May he would get shaved.

Our regular groomer doesn't do lion's cuts, which is when you shave almost all of a cat's fur off, leaving just a mane, booties and part of the tail. Instead, she referred us to another place just down the road.

Early this morning we dropped The Boys off and told the groomers not to be surprised is Maestro gave them a hard time. He can be a little wiley sometimes. Mozart, on the other hand, shouldn't be a problem.

Hours past and we didn't hear back from the groomer. Eventually we called and were told that Mozart bit one of the groomers and it was so bad that the groomer had to go to the doctor.

We went down to pick up The Boys and we were greeted by a very unhappy groomer. Turns out the guy that Mozart bit had to be taken to the hospital, because he might need stitches. It seems that when he was giving Mozart a bath Mozart sunk his teeth into him and sliced open his whole hand. This is odd, because Mozart only has three incisors, as opposed to four that normal cats have. Also, Doug and I give Mozart baths all the time and he's always like them. Methinks this groomer's technique could use a little improving.

The groomer that told us all this was really pissed off, as if Mozart's behavior was somehow a reflection on us. If it were socially acceptable to throw a shoe at us, I think this gal would have. Doug and I even came in with two bottles of Rose wine for the injured groomer, as a measure of goodwill. And not for nothing, but isn't getting bit by an animal an occupational hazard of being a pet groomer, the way electricians always risk getting zapped? Then again, if you know what you're doing, you probably won't get zapped, or bitten, for that matter.

Regardless, below are some photos of what The Boys looks like now that all their fur has been shaved off.

Inspecting Each Other's Damage


Forlorn


At least They Have Each Other


Ariel View of Maestro


Lion's Cat Mirror Image


Mozart Tries to Deal With Reality


.. And Eventually Settles in for a Nap